Travel and Expense
Top Travel Destinations for 2023 Holiday Business Travel
November and December are busy travel months. Travelers are gearing up to visit family or take advantage of time off for a bucket-list vacation. But some travelers will still be on the clock. SAP Concur analyzed U.S. bookings in Concur Travel over November and December and surprisingly, many employees took business trips over Thanksgiving, and several already have trips booked for Christmas and New Years.
Hundreds of Thousands Took Business Trips this Thanksgiving
The busiest day for business travel in November was Monday, November 13. Hundreds of thousands of workers traveled on 11/13 and 5.6% of trips went to Dallas, Texas, the number one destination and 5.4% went to Chicago, Illinois, which was a very close second. Other major metros like Washington, D.C. and New York City rounded out the top 10 list.
Top Destinations for November 13
- Dallas, Texas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Washington D.C.
- Denver, Colorado
- New York, New York
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Boston, Massachusetts
- Los Angeles, California
- Houston, Texas
While mid-November was the peak, business travel didn’t stop for the Thanksgiving holiday. Between November 17, the Friday before Thanksgiving, and November 26, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, hundreds of thousands of employees traveled for work.
Most employees traveled before or after the holiday. Friday, November 17 was the top travel date but Sunday, November 26 was a close second. The least popular travel date was Thanksgiving, on Thursday, November 23.
In terms of the top destinations, Las Vegas, Nevada claimed the top spot. In fact, more than three times as many business travelers went to Las Vegas compared to Phoenix, Arizona in the tenth spot. Like the most popular travel day in November (11/13), Chicago, Illinois, Atlanta, Georgia, and Dallas, Texas fell within the top 10 destinations. However, over Thanksgiving, Charlotte, North Carolina joined the list.
Top Destinations for Thanksgiving (11/17-11/26)
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Chicago, Illinois
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Dallas, Texas
- Los Angeles, California
- New York, New York
- Denver, Colorado
- Washington, D.C.
- Charlotte, North Carolina
- Phoenix, Arizona
Business Travelers Ring in the New Year in Orlando
The top travel date in December was Monday, December 4. Like the busiest travel date in November, Dallas, Texas claims the number one spot, representing 6.2% of business trips taking place on December 4. Atlanta, Georgia comes in at second, representing 5.1% of business trips. Compared to November, new to the top ten list are Orlando, Florida and San Francisco, California. But read on because Orlando takes center stage over the holidays.
Top Destinations for December 4
- Dallas, Texas
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Chicago, Illinois
- New York, New York
- Washington, D.C.
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- Orlando, Florida
- San Francisco, California
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Los Angeles, California
It’s still a few weeks away, but still, tens of thousands of employees have booked business trips during the Christmas and the New Year holidays, between the Thursday before Christmas, December 21, and the Wednesday after New Year’s Day, January 3.
Most trips won’t take place until after New Year’s celebrations, with the top travel dates being Tuesday, January 2 and Wednesday, January 3. The least popular travel date will be Christmas Day on Monday, December 25.
For top destinations, Orlando, Florida claims the number one spot by a mile. More than double the amount of business travelers will head to Orlando compared to Phoenix, Arizona in the second spot. New additions to the list include Seattle, Washington and San Antonio, Texas.
Top Destinations for Christmas and New Year’s (12/21-1/3)
- Orlando, Florida
- Phoenix, Arizona
- Atlanta, Georgia
- Los Angeles, California
- Dallas, Texas
- Chicago, Illinois
- Seattle, Washington
- San Antonio, Texas
- San Francisco, California
- Denver, Colorado
We’re not surprised to see so many holiday business trips planned. Our annual SAP Concur Global Business Travel Survey found that nearly all global business travelers (94%) said they were willing to travel for business in the next 12 months, including 67% who were very willing.
Happy holidays to the road warriors and cheers to maintaining client relationships and starting new ones!
Methodology: SAP Concur analyzed business travel bookings in Concur Travel with a U.S. origin during November and December 2023, and established holiday date ranges of 11/17-11/26 for Thanksgiving and 12/21-1/3 for Christmas and the New Year.